“In
the history of the Soviet navy, no sailors have been given such a boat as K-19.
It is the finest submarine in the world. You have been given the honor to be her
crew. I have been given the honor to be your captain. Without me, you’re
nothing. Without you, I am nothing. Much is expected of us. WE WILL NOT FAIL.”

Film ***1/2

There have been many underwater submarine epics, most of
which have been told from the American perspective, and K-19: The Widowmaker
stands out as one of the strongest and the best for two primary reasons. For one
thing, the movie is inspired by actual events and told from the perspective of
the Soviet navy. The other reason is that the movie’s relentless tension is
driven by a nail-biting ordeal that occurs within the submarine itself, and
doesn’t rely on countless missile firing sequences that have been done before
in countless other pictures. K-19 also gains strength from the director,
Kathryn Bigelow, and its lead actors. Another important element of this
story’s significance is that it could not be told for nearly thirty years.

In a slight acting departure, Harrison Ford delivers his
strongest performance in years as Russian naval officer Alexei Vostrikov, a
stern and perfection-driven Captain who knows no failure when it comes to
commanding a crew and a submarine. The movie takes place against a very trying
time for the Soviets. The year is 1961, during the height of the Cold War, and
Mother Russia is in a race against time to get their first nuclear submarine as
a way of defending the country from a possible nuclear attack from the United
States. Vostrikov is chosen at the last minute to command the boat, named K-19.
His executive officer is Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson), who at first was
considered to be captain, but failed to show promise during pivotal drills.

The crew of the ship are more than patient with their new
captain, though their loyalties remain with Polenin, who has served with them
longer. However, Vostrikov’s tactics while at sea, such as nearly destroying
the ship when ordering the firing of a test missile, have the men instigating
numerous quarrels. But everyone must put their feelings aside once the
unthinkable has occurred within the ship. As the boat as ended up in the western
portion of the Atlantic Ocean, a nuclear reactor bursts out and starts to slowly
melt. The crew finds that the only way to stop the leaking is for some of the
men to heroically make sacrifices, by fixing the reactor amidst harsh nuclear
radiation. Making the ordeal even worse is the fact that there are no radiation
suits on board. The scenes of the men fighting the nuclear radiation are
extraordinarily intense and horrifying.

I strongly feel that anyone who watches it will instantly
gain a huge respect for the Soviet navy and the horrific obstacles they went
through during this nightmarish event. I know I certainly did. The performances
from Ford and Neeson are strong and exceptional, among the best work of both
actors, and the film also features a stellar breakthrough performance from Peter
Sarsgaard (The Salton Sea) as Vadim, the ship’s naval reactor officer
who is probably the most human portrait of the movie, because he displays real
emotions of fear in the midst of being responsible for fixing the problem, which
we share with him a great deal. He’s much like the Jeremy Davies’ character
in Saving Private Ryan.

Since National Geographic is one of the production
companies involved with the project, it’s easy to see why K-19: The
Widowmaker is faithful to the details of the history it depicts. It’s a
thoroughly gripping and suspenseful tale that ranks with the best of submarine
flicks, and it’s by far one the more realistic. Credit to director Bigelow and
a strong cast of actors for boldly recreating a relatively unknown part of
history.

Video ***1/2

For an underwater sea
epic, this represents one of the best video transfers to any film of the genre,
and for that, Paramount should congratulate themselves. Colors appear crisp and
natural, and the overall image quality is thoroughly impressive for sure,
despite a couple instances of grain in some more darker lit scenes, but nothing
totally distracting.

Audio ****

No flaws here at all, as
Paramount delivers a four star audio sweep with a dazzling 5.1 mix. The setting
of a submarine provides an outstanding level of dynamic range in nearly every
scene. The underwater sequences provide a unique level of bass, and a few
effects sequences pay off big time in this area. Plus, the powerful music score
by Klaus Badelt is heard in outstanding form. An all around incredible audio
presentation!

Features ***

This disc features a
commentary track by Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, “The
Making of K-19: The Widowmaker” featurette, as well as three additional
featurettes; “Exploring the Craft”, “Breaching the Hull”, and “It’s
in the Details”, and a trailer.

Summary:

K-19: The Widowmaker is
a relentlessly gripping and involving depiction of a crucial point for the
Soviet navy during the Cold War. Those in search of a rich historical film need
look no further.